KUALA LUMPUR: Two more cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been confirmed in Malaysia, the Health Ministry revealed today.
The first case is a 41-year-old Malaysian man – the first local to test positive for the infection. The second is a 63-year-old man from Wuhan, China, who arrived in Malaysia on Jan 18.
The two latest confirmed infections bring the tally of cases in the country to 10, with nine of the infections involving Chinese citizens.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Malaysian man was confirmed as having the virus on Feb 3 and is currently at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
“The man had been in Singapore from Jan 16 to 23 for a meeting which was also attended by a delegation from China.
“He returned to Malaysia on Jan 23. (He) developed a fever and cough and sought treatment at a private hospital in Selangor on Jan 29.
“He was referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital on Feb 2 and tested positive for 2019-nCoV on Feb 3,” Dr Dzulkefly told a press conference here, today.
He added that his ministry and Singapore’s health ministry are working closely to conduct contact tracing.
As for the Chinese man, Dr Dzulkefly said he developed a fever five days after entering Malaysia.
“He developed a mild fever on Jan 23 and was treated as an outpatient at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur.
“The Health Ministry was informed of the case, and the man was placed under surveillance for 14 days.
“When the fever persisted, he was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Feb 2 for further treatment. He tested positive the next day.
“The patient is in an isolation ward and in stable condition,” Dr Dzulkefly said, adding that his ministry is closely monitoring the situation to ensure appropriate precautions and controls are in place.